One pic is "Me and My Daddy's Shoe" the other is "Happy Baby" as Sebastian's brother calls him.
At the bottom of this insert I will cut and paste a copy of the story I wrote this week.
A typical day in the life of Sebastian consists of attempts every three hours to bottle feed or nurse followed by feedings through an NG tube. Each feeding lasts about an hour. From midnight until 6 AM he is on a continuous feed through his NG tube. We pray he will not have reflux and lose what he has taken in. He remains at a 45 degree angle during feedings.
Twice a day he receives breathing treatments with a nebulizer. Several times a day he receives other meds through his NG tube. His little boots are removed once a day for bath time only.
Twice a week a home nurse and a physical therapist come to the house. Once a week he goes to the pediatrician.
He is on oxygen in his room via a converter and via a tank when we take him downstairs or to appointments.
Tuesday at George Washington Hospital he had a repeat hearing test which, praise the Lord, was normal. Today he has a gastro test. It seems there will be tests and visits and outings and this and that for days to come. This month there will be a sleep apnea test and ortho visits and pulmonologist appointments.
Please, please continue to pray for this Little One! Pray for his parents and the professionals who see him and his big brother. Pray God’s angels will continue to protect him from Satan and danger and physical, emotional, spiritual and mental harm.
This verse was in his isolet and is now in his room…please pray it for him…
The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you; He will quiet you with his love.
He will rejoice over you with singing.
They cried to you and were saved; in You they trusted and were not disappointed.
Eight Months Ago Today
November 9, 2006
Eight months ago this very day my sister Kathy and I were sitting in my car visiting when my cell phone rang. You never know what the caller on the other end is going to say, but usually you expect some normal conversation. When you see caller ID flash the number on your phone you can imagine a category of subjects this caller might be calling you about.
But sometimes that is not the case. Sometimes the caller whose voice is so familiar to you has brief and heart rending news. Such was the case with this call.
It was Rob calling from DC to say Taylor is pregnant with their second child and there are serious problems. Maybe this Little One has no kidneys. Maybe he has one. There is little amniotic fluid which we learned is absolutely essential for the development of lungs.
That call came around noon on March 9, 2006.
The details of what took place between then and now are endless. Such would be the case in anyone’s life for eight months.
But these eight months have changed me forever.
Doctors gave no hope for life for this precious Little One. Many wanted to terminate the pregnancy.
Experimental procedures met with no success. Months of prayer and seeking our Lord’s mercy were all we had.
It was clear this decision was to be His.
And so we waited. Two simultaneous thoughts remained with us continually. The doctors giving no hope and our omnipotent and loving Lord’s mercy.
For one hundred and thirty six days we waited.
“Let all mortal flesh keep silent” was the song He led me to over and over. And we waited in quiet and in wonder and with hope and trust for what our Lord would do.
And more bad news came with each doctor’s appointment. But our Lord sustained us. We would feel Little One kick in his little room inside his Mommy. And we would see him on the ultrasound. And we would beg our God for mercy.
I suppose we would all say that miracles are all around us. The intricacies of a tiny leaf to a mighty thunder and lightning storm all are evidence of our Creators miraculous powers.
Hard as we try to explain the parts of a leaf and how it grows, we cannot make a leaf no matter how hard we try. I look at my little doggie at my feet right now. He has eyes and ears and an entire array of systems that make him be alive. He is a miracle of sorts.
Once I was driving across the state of Texas in a huge thunderstorm. Eighteen wheelers pulled over to the side. You could feel the highway shake with each roar of thunder. For me it was an awesome display by our mighty God that I have never forgotten.
Miracles do abound, there is no doubt.
My dictionary says a miracle is an event that appears unexplainable by the laws of nature and so is held to be supernatural in origin or an act of God.
So if that is the case maybe a tiny leaf or a huge thunderstorm are miracles of a sort, but they can somewhat be explained by the laws of nature. That makes them no less awesome, but God has shown us explanations for those. We learned about photosynthesis and storms in our early science classes, so we think we understand thunderstorms and green leaves to the point of where we are not always awed by them.
However, I daresay if the waters of the Atlantic Ocean were to part, it would no doubt be breaking news on CNN and Fox. And if some wedding guest started turning water into wine, he would surely make an appearance on Larry King.
These things would surprise us because no early science class text book explained water changing into wine or oceans parting.
I have experienced many times in my life when I know God was compelling me to do something and I did it and because of His urging something ended up wonderfully. Maybe it would have anyway, I don’t know. I have experienced many times when the love He has for me and my loved ones and all His people just completely overwhelms me. I have experienced many times when the love and support of the body of believers has greatly humbled me. I could go on and on listing these types of occurrences in my life which are also miracles of a sort.
But this Miracle of Sebastian is unlike any I have seen.
Some have argued that the reason for Little One’s health is the excellent medical care Little One received after his birth. We are ever so thankful to each and every one that God continues to use in the life of our dear Little One.
But let there be no mistake: the miracle is the live birth of Little One.
The miracle is our God’s omnipotence in having this precious Little One enter our world crying, with lungs and pink in color….. and not as these most prestigious medical people said he would enter this world.
And so believers who see such miracles are changed forever.
I have joked that I feel like Martin Luther King when he said, “I have seen the promised land!” He said it with such conviction that when we heard him, we knew that he had indeed seen the Promised Land!
The Bible uses the word “miracle.” These particular occurrences are distinguished from other occurrences and are called miracles. The Bible does not speak of the miracle of the fig leaf or the miracle of the storm on the Sea of Galilee. The Bible speaks of miracles or mighty works like a staff turning into a snake, water turning into wine and the Red Sea parting.
These are unexplainable events, attributed solely to the mighty work of our Almighty God.
And I have seen a miracle! I have seen a real miracle, an unexplainable event. Praise God!
And this miracle is our grandson Sebastian, who is sixteen and one half weeks old!
After most of eight months I am now home from DC. After three months dearest Little One is now home from the hospital.
A child who was not to be born alive now thrives through the grace of our Lord.
I am deeply humbled beyond belief and touched to the very depths of my soul ….for we cried to Him and He answered us…we trusted in Him and He did not disappoint us. I can never thank Him enough or repay Him for His mighty deeds.
He is indeed mighty to save!
Our awesome Lord did what no doctor could do!
Our merciful Lord did what no experimental procedure could do!
Our loving Lord defied humans who gave no hope!
We see the miracle our Lord has performed! Let us joyfully praise God!
……the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen…….
